Improvement in submarine torpedoes and boats



2Sheets--Sheet'1 H J SMITH. Submarine Torpedoes and Boats. No. 134,493. Patented Dec-31,1872.

HENRY JULIUS SMITH, or BOSTON, MASSAonUSETTs, ASSIGNOR To WILLIAM B. FOWLE, OF SAME PLACE. I

IMPROVEMENT IN SUBMARINE TORPEDOES AND BOAT S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,493. dated December 31, 187 2.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY JULIUS SMITH, of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain'Improvements in Submarine Torpedo-Launches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the launch and apparatus which I have employed in carrying out-my inventions; Fig. 2 is p a rear elevation, with the float, rudder, and propeller omitted or-broken; and Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, a sectional elevation and a plan of the engine for operating the rudder, including a portion of the contrivance govern ing the admission, into this engine, of compressed air or similar motive 'will of the operator.

Although, in this description, compressed air will be spoken of as employed to work the engines, other gases may be used, and I have used, and I preferto-use, compressed or lique tied ammonia. Itis unnecessary to add that when ammonia is used the metal employed in the construction of the launch and the apparatus contained therein with which the ammonia comes in contact must .be iron or and navigated.

The present invention relates more espe- ,cially .to means employed for exploding the torpedo when the launch strikes the enemys vessel, and to means employed for regulating the. depth under the surface of the water. at which the explosion shall take place,

Thelaunch which I have used in carrying out my inventionis a cigar-shaped boat built of iron. It has -a keel and rudder, as shown in the drawing, and is navigated under water. It is divided, as shown, by bulkheads, into three compartments-viz: the forward compartment, which is the torpedo proper, being a chamber filled with the material by the explosion of which the vessel attacked is to be destroyed; the stern compartment, carryin gthe propelling and steering apparatus; and the middle compartment, carrying the reservoir-in power, at the G sn B.

which is confined the motive power; or, in other words, carrying the boiler and carryingalso a coil of insulated wire, by means of which electrical communication may be established between the launch and the shore. The stern and forward compartments are water-tight; the middle compartment, for reasons hereinafter made known, is open to the water. The launch with its contents is much too heavy to float. To keep it from sinking to the bottom a float is employed buoying the launch until detached, as hereinafterexplained. Use is also made of the float to regulate the depth at which the explosion shall take place.

In the drawing, the float is marked A. B is a tube or pipe, passing through thefloat and communicating with the forward compartmei yt of the launch or magazine, as shown. I In this tube is a cord or chain,marked a, by means of which the torpedo is exploded at a depth determined by the length of the cord or chain,

as hereinafter explained. '0 is an exhaustpipe, also passing through the fio'at, as shown.

G is a boom projecting in front of the launch and its float, as shown. It is slotted at!) b', as shown, and rests upon shoulders of the tubes 13 and 0, as shown, being held in place (but so loosely as to allow it to slide freely the length of the slots) by collars 0 c, which are secured by set-screws, as shown. The boom G forms a part of the device for securing the launch to the .float. For this purpose it has two other slots, d d, in which are two fiatheaded bolts, 0 e, rigidly secured to. the float.

The slots d d are enlarged at their forward ends to permit the heads of the bolts to slip through when the boom strikes the enemys vessel, the launcli and float traveling on an instant after theboomis checked. When the bolts 6 0 pass through their slots, the launch and float becoming detached from each other, the launch sinks until checked by the cord at, which, becoming taut, explodesand some gases would freeze.

is for the purpose of supplying the heat abstracted fromv the compressed air 'or other gas. Moreover, if all sources of heat are cut off the gas would lose its expansive force,

The sea-water takes the place of the fire under an ordinary steam-boiler; and H. may be more properly, and in this description hereafter will be, termed a boiler. Insteadof the box-shaped boiler,- shown in the drawing, I prefer a series oftubes. J is a pipe communicating as shown in Fig. 2, with an oscillating marineengine, E, inthe stern compartment of the launch, and is used to convey compressed air to this engine from the boiler H. The trunnions of the oscillating engine E have' bearings, as shown in Fig. 1. This engine operates the propeller K in the ordinary manner by means of the piston-rod h, crank g, and propeller-shaft k. L is a reel carrying a coil of insulated wire, I, one end of. which, passing under the roller 1, communicates with the -.battery on shore. The other end of the wire passes through a stufling-box in the axis of the reel, and then through packing-at l in one of; the bulkheads, and connects with the outer. end of a wire of a galvanometer, as shown. This galvanometer is marked M, Its use is-one of the essential features of an invention which I have described in another application.

When one of the valves 0 or O is opened the compressed air passes from the pipe .J into the pipe J. The last-namedpipe is stationary, and serves as a piston-rod,"having a piston-head also stationary. This piston-rod and piston-head, with a cylinder, shown in combination with their], form the engine F, the cylinder being driven to. the right or left by the gas which passes into it through'small holes in the piston-rod at either face of the piston-head. This motion of the cylinder is communicated to the rudder by a-rack and toothed sector as shown. The cylinder and piston rod fit oosely, and the spent gas escapes into the stern compartment, whence it finds its exit by means of the pipe 0.

The practical operation of the launch in respect to the propelling and steering apparatus is described elsewhere. It is here only necessary to refer to the mode of operation when. the launch strikes the. enemys vessel and. the torpedo is exploded.

A torpedo exploded in close proximity to the vessel attacked, but near the surface of the water, will debut little damage. It isabsolutely necessary that it be exploded at a considerable depth below the surface; and

yet it is impracticable to run-thelau-nch at a depth at which the explosionlwill be effect apparatusand ignite a time-fuse, or set clock work or electrical apparatus in operation to discharge the torpedo.

When the torpedo isrigged upon the boom it can best be discharged by a cord perform ing the oflice of the cord at in the drawing, one end being attached to the primer of the torpedo, and the other secured to the boom.

In like manner a boat may be used, al-

though under water, of such shape that independent torpedoes may be carried on the deck,

and be detached when the boat comes in contact with the object attacked by a contrivance like the boom G, each independent torpedo having'its own separate float and cord t'orthe-purpose of explosion.

The float A shown in the drawing doesa double duty, in buoying the launch so that it may be run at a safe and practicable dis"- tance below the surface, and also performing the ofiice described in the explosion.

It is needless to add that when the torpedo proper is a chamber or magazine of the launch .the explosion willblow up the launch.

I claim-- 4 1. A torpedo; launch constructed substantiallyas'described, in combination with a detachable float, so that the launch may be dis connected and sunk to the required depth be fore'the explosion of the torpedo.

2. The combination of the-boom e float A, and torpedo-launch, whereby the float and launch are coupled and uncoupled,- substantially as described.

3. A float and a torpedo, when united b a cord which determines the depth at which the torpedo shall be exploded, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a float and a torpedo and a cord to expldde tiall'y as described.

The above specification of my said invention signed and witnessed, at Washington, this 23d.

day of December, A. D. 1872. p

H. JULIUS SMITH. 1

Witnesses:

' GEORGE E. LINCOLN, Urns. F. STANSBURY.

the concussion of the the torpedo, substam' 

